Ice-can.



J. H. LAMB.

ICE CAN. APPLICATION FILED JAN,29, m5.

Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

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JOHN H. LAMB, or PIEDMONT, wnsr VIRGINI ICE-CAN.

Application filed January 29,. 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. LAMB, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Piedmont, in the county of Mineral and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ice Cans, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in ice cans.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a can serviceable in the manufacturing of ice and adapted for insuring the formation of a solid ice block and obviating any flaws or central feathers commonly found in what is known as tombstone ice.

A further v object is to provide a can adapted for the reception of water for freez ing into ice, the can being provided with a centrally vented aerating member recessed within the can bottom and continuously operable during the formation of the ice block within the can.

It is also designed to form completely solid ice blocks Which shall be uninterrupted by any aerating pipes as sometimes em ployed projecting from above and into the freezing water, the present can providing a continuous upward central air flow through the water completely preventing any formation of a core within the ice block and rendering the ice of uniform density throughout the block and readily removable from the can at the completion of the freezing operation. 7

With these general objects in view and others thatwill, appear as the nature of the invention is better understood,the same con sists in the novel combination and arrangement of partshereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this application and in which like designating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout. the several views; Figure 1 1s a perspective view of a portion of the tank room. of an ice manufacturing plant and illustrating the present device in use upon some of the ice cans positioned therein. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a can constructed in accordance with this invention. F g. 3 is a perspective view of the same partially broken away. Fig. 4: is a vertical diagonal Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1915 Serial No. 5,?

sectional view through the can partially broken away and illustrated as connected to i the air line. Fig. 5 is a side elevationof" two ice cans with the mounting framework broken away and illustrating one can con-. nccted to the main air header and the other can to the branch line, and, Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view through a portion of the can bottom and the aerating plpe positioned therein.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the present form of ice can, it will first be noted, is designed for employment in the tank room of an ice manufacturing plant arranged substantially in the usual manner and illustrated in Fig. 1, provided with removable tops 10 overlying the tank frames 11, each of the said frames adapted to receive one of the ice cans loosely therein.

The present form of ice can is an open topped tapering can 12 of the desired dimensions and provided with an air agitating pipe 13 permanently secured thereto and adapted for aerating the water which is placed within the can for the purpose of freezing t io same. The said pipe 13 extends within the can nearly to the top thereof and is positioned engaging one of the can corners 11 while a covering protecting. strip 15 is provided within the can overly ing the u 'u-ight portion of the pipe and be ing soldered to the adjacent side walls of the can. A lower angular extension 16 of the pipe 13 is embedded within a valley of groove 17 struck downwardly from the can bottom 18 and the said extension being positioned therein is preferably secured by solder 11), which provides a substantially smooth upper surface for the can bottom. The can bottom adjacent the inner open end or mouth 20 of the pipe extension has a central. socket 21 therein, thus allowing the free exit of the air from the pipe which is adapted to rise through the water within the can for continuously aerating andagitating the water during the freezing operation.

It will be understood that when the can 12 is first positioned within the tank frame 11 that water will be gradually led into the can which will allow the can to lower from the position illustrated at 22 in 'Fig. 5 of the drawings to its position shown at 23 therein, in which latter position, the can is mainor drop pipe 25'with the upper end of the pipe 13 of the can during the initial filling of the can with water. This pipe may be removed whenever desired, being preferably detachably connected by means of a connection not shown, with a main supply pipe. When the can settles suiiiciently, an auxiliary air main-26 is utilized for supplying air to the ice cans the hose 25 being detached from the pipe 13 and one of the similar sections of hose27 ofthe' auxiliary main 26 is usedv in the place thereof. Fig. 1 shows one of the auxiliary mains 26 arranged between two rows of tank frames to supplyair to thepipe *13 of the tanks in both rows, this being also-shown in Fig. 5. These mains 26 are a part of the plant and remain permanently" in position.

The employment ofthe main air header 2% initially and the auxiliary lower air main 26 duringitheeremainder of the ice forming process insures a substantially uninterrupted upward flow of air through the freezing water over the air pipe mouth' 20. Any serviceable hose connection may be provided between the upper end of the pipe 13 and the lengths of-"hose "25 and 27, but it is herein designed to provide a ground internal seat at the upper end 28 of the pipe 13, into which a metallic plug 29 carried by the free end of the said hosesections may be readily insertedfor forming an air-tight joint, although beingreadily manually disconnected therefrom. A turn plug is provided for each hose connection for controlling the flow of air to the cans. The injection of air into the can 'from main 2e serves to prevent the water from freezing in the arms or branches 13-16 of the angular pipe, and the air fed thr ugh the pipe tothe'center of the can bot om prevents white or opaque ice from forming fln he walls'of the can during the filling operation.

.It will thus be seen that a serviceable "ice can is provided which is employed with the tank frames in substantially'the manner now used in ice factories but which by reason of the novel formof can, inures to the perfect operation of., the system in insuring an output of perfect ice blocks of uniform density, and'which blocks are thus readily formed" within the cans and are easily re-t moved therefrom when the freezing oper ation is completed.

While the form of the invention herein be preferable embodiment thereof, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor plpe.

from'the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim as new is 1. An ice can comprising an open topped receptacle having a groove in the bottom thereof extending from the center of the bottom to one corner thereof, and an angular air-admission pipe having the horizontal arm thereof seated in said groove and the vertical arm nested in one corner of the receptacle and extending upwardly to a point near the top of the receptacle, the receptacle bottom having a socket at the open outer end of the horizontal arm of the angular pipe to permit free egress of air from said 2. An ice can comprising an open topped receptacle having I a diagonally arranged groove downwardly struck in the bottom thereof and terminating centrally of the said can, an air inlet pipe positioned within said can and extending outwardly engaging the corner thereof and provided with an inner angular extension seated within the said groove and terminating in an open mouth adjacent the end of said groove, and a strip overlying the said corner positioned pipe and secured to the adjacent sides and bottom of the said can. I Y 3. A device of -the class described, comprising in combinationwith a tank frame having an upper and a lower air line conduit positioned adjacent thereto, an ice can slid-' ably positioned within the said frame, an,

angular air pipe secured within the said,can at a corner portion thereof and having an angular extension terminating in an open mouth centrally of the bottom of the said can, and removable hose connections for the said air pipe and carried by the said conduits.

4.1A device of the class described, comprising in combination with a tank frame and an upper and lower compressed air sup-- ply conduit, hose-connecting means carried by each of the said conduits, metallic plug connectors at the free ends of the said means, i

an 'icecan removably positioned within the said frame and having a diagonally-arranged groove in the bottom thereof, an air In testimony whereofl afiix mysignature v v 'in presenceoftwo witnesses. shown and described is what 1s believed to v .1

I JOHN HULAMP lVit-nesseszq i v A. M. WILSON, w G. Norms. 

